


War Games

by nevercanreadenough



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate universe - Mafia, Are Criminal Organizations, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF Harry Potter, Caring Tom Riddle, Dialogue Heavy, Harry gets beat up, Hermione Granger is a Good Friend, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Possessive Tom Riddle, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Sane Voldemort (Harry Potter), Still Magical, The Order of the Phoenix - Freeform, and the Death Eaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24360523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevercanreadenough/pseuds/nevercanreadenough
Summary: "Harry?""Hello love.""Any particular reason your face is that colour?""One of your acquaintances wanted a word with you.""Did they?" Tom asked softly. "Did you get in the way of the message?""I think I might be the message. Well," he amended as he held his ribs, "I would have been if they killed me anyway.""Is that so?" Tom Riddle asked, eyes flaring a blood red.Or:Harry never wanted anything to do with Tom's business until that business came calling. Loudly. This time he decides to call back.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Implied Hermione Granger/Rodolphus Lestrange, implied Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald - Relationship
Comments: 13
Kudos: 491





	War Games

**Author's Note:**

> I needed a little break from my other WIPs and luckily my muse obliged because this happened.  
> This one is pretty dialogue heavy  
> No beta, mistakes roam freely.

_"Harry?" Tom asked in alarm as his husband walked into the room. Perhaps ‘walked’ was too generous as a bushy haired woman was heavily supporting him._

_"Hello love." Harry croaked out, trying to sound reassuring._

_"Any particular reason your face is that colour?" Tom asked as he cupped Harry's cheeks gently, holding him still so he could get a better look at his husband's injuries._

_Harry whined in pain but managed a small smile despite his split lip. "One of your acquaintances wanted a word with you."_

_"Did they?" Tom asked softly as he gently tipped Harry's head back so the light could showcase his injuries better. "Did you get in the way of the message?"_

_Harry snorted but winced almost immediately. "I think I might be the message. Well," he amended as he held his ribs, "I would have been if they killed me anyway."_

_"Is that so?" Tom Riddle asked, eyes flaring a blood red._

******

"So you see my problem here, Albus. It's not that I don't value our unique rivalry; it's that we've always had very clear lines that we do not cross. Imagine my surprise when I found out you not only decided to cross them, but do away with them altogether." Voldemort remarked pleasantly as he sat across the table from Albus Dumbledore, leader of the Order of the Phoenix as his second, Alastor Moody stood sentry behind him.

"Tom, dear boy, I can't say I know what you're talking about." Albus replied, seemingly confused.

"Don't you? Let me refresh your memory. Harry."

Albus smiled and nodded. "I do recall meeting the young man."

"He did seem fond of you." Voldemort replied affably.

"I was acquainted with his parents before their untimely death."

"Yes, of course, some time after Gellert was murdered. Did they ever catch the person responsible? Much like Harry’s parents, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps now is the right time to inform Harry of the truth." Voldemort said lightly.

Sharp eyes met a sharp smile. "Harry isn't the violent type." Albus replied as the leaned back into his chair.

Voldemort hummed his agreement. "Altogether I would agree, but these are his parents Albus, it does change things."

"I'm still not sure why we had to meet, Tom."

"See, I don't usually mind our differences. I don't even mind that you managed to get a rat into my organization. Business is business after all."

******

_"What did you find out Rodolphus?" Tom demanded, his fingers playing with his wand._

_"It's not pretty." His second cautioned._

_"They put their hands on Harry, Rodolphus, it was never going to be pretty."_

_"It's Bellatrix, my Lord."_

_Tom frowned. "Bellatrix?"_

_"She hired a few boys, Crabbe and Goyle, to ruff him up some."_

_"I remember them. From Harry's descriptions I would hesitate to say they were the culprits."_

_"You'd be right, it wasn't them. Turns out they wanted the galleons but didn't want to waste time or energy actually doing the job so they hired someone for a fourth of what they were hired for." Rodolphus informed his Lord._

_"The goons hired goons?" Voldemort asked incredulously. "It's so hard to find good help these days." He lamented sadly._

_"Isn't like it used to be, my Lord. Anyway, they hired some kids named Creevy to do the job for them."_

_Tom’s eyes narrowed as his fingers tapped away on his wand. "Why does that name sound familiar?"_

_"That would be because they took a particular interest in Harry, my Lord. The oldest one most notably. Colin, I think his name was."_

_"The boy obsessed with Harry? They hired Harry's stalker?" Toms asked in disbelief._

_Rodolphus nodded. "Small world. Anyway, they didn't like the killing Harry part of the Killing Harry plan so they decided they were only going to ruff him up some and then, from what I can gather from our informants, keep him prisoner until he had a change of heart."_

_"Kidnap him." Voldemort sighed. "Which changed when they realized that Harry wasn't going to go along with their plan."_

_"They panicked." Rodolphus agreed with a nod. "Colin decided that he was going to have Harry one way or another when Granger walked in on him trying to have a go."_

_The table creaked ominously. "Have a go?"_

_"Rape, my Lord."_

_There was a dangerous pause before the table exploded into matchstick size pieces that both men ignored. "Granger?" Voldemort finally asked after the debris had settled._

_"She's in the back. Said she has information for you."_

_"The Creevy's?"_

_Rodolphus smiled viciously. "Not breathing, my Lord. Seems Granger took care of it for us."_

******

"How does Harry relate to our business?" Albus questioned, a slight disinterest still noticeable in his tone.

"That's what I couldn't figure out. Harry, despite being my husband, wants nothing to do with my work."

"I imagine that might put quite a strain on your relationship."

"Yes, you would think so but it turns out that the reason he doesn't like to be involved is that he's got quite the vicious streak." Voldemort informed him genially.

"Does he now? Are you here to inform me that he's going to kill me?" Albus asked, looking, if possible, even more disinterested than before.

Voldemort laughed delightedly. "No, of course not. Even in our business that's aiming just a bit too high. If he did want that though, I could only do my best to deliver. No, the reason I bring it up is because it involves one of your numbers."

"Is that so? I don't suppose you have a name?"

"I do. Sirius Black."

"Black? Bloke's dead." Alastor barked out, his one good eye growing wild while his magical eye stayed focused on Voldemort.

"Sirius? Now Tom, you can't just go about pointing fingers." Albus stated, his tone both scolding and disappointed as a soft frown formed on his features.

"I'm not pointing fingers Albus, I'm stating facts. See, it turns out that Sirius was related to my Bellatrix. Cousins, if you would believe it." Voldemort stated, smiling and leaning back in his chair despite his cold eyes boring into Albus’.

"I think I recall something of the sort."

"Well, Bellatrix seemed to have a special sort of spite for Harry, and Sirius was getting tired of following orders."

"Following orders from the Order." Rodolphus chimed in blandly.

******

_“You're on the wrong side of the war here Granger.” Voldemort informed her as he walked into the room._

_“It depends on how you look at it, sir.” Granger stated, shifting in her seat as her nerves got the better of her when Rodolphus conjured a chair in front of her and sat down across from her._

_“And what way would that be?”_

_“Harry's side and the side that's trying to kill him. Sir.”_

_Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "So you're here because you love Harry?"_

_She shook her head violently. “No! I'm here because Harry's my brother and he's my side.”_

_Rodolphus rolled his eyes. "That's called love, love. "_

_Granger's cheeks grew hot but her gaze was steady. "I've got something you need to hear."_

_“So Rodolphus tells me.”_

_“I don't want to be a part of your organization, per se, I'm not so good with the whole killing thing, but I'll do anything to save Harry.” Granger stated, her voice wavering as she swallowed around a lump in her throat._

_“And why is that exactly?” Voldemort asked, his tone bored._

_“My parents...my parents didn't exactly like magic. When I came back after my fifth year they tried to kill me. Harry saved my life, in more ways than one. He's got my loyalty and he's got my wand.”_

_“So. Not a part of my organization but part of Harry's non-existent one?”_

_“If that's the way Harry wants to see it, yes, but I'm not the only one out there on his side.”_

_“But not mine.”_

_"Sorry." Hermione said with a shake of her head. "Sir." She added belatedly, not yet willing to cross him._

_“Back to the thing we need to hear.” Rodolphus said, leaning his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together._

******

“Am I to believe that Sirius had gone rogue before his death?”

“Not at all, not at all. I'm merely informing you that Bellatrix wanted something that was too far out of her reach.”

“And Sirius?” Albus asked, curious despite himself.

“Isn't my problem. If I do recall, those were some of the lines we had set, wasn't it?” Voldemort’s tone turned hard as his cold eyes started to flair a deeper red.

Rodolphus nodded his head. “I believe it was, my Lord. House problems are dealt within House.”

“So imagine my surprise when your House problems spilled over into mine.”

Albus narrowed his eyes. “So you're informing me of dissent within my ranks. A professional courtesy?”

“I wish that was the end of what we found out, but it turns out that Dumbledore's Army decided to become a bigger player.”

“Dumbledore's Army?” Albus asked, decidedly bemused despite the sudden tension in the air.

Voldemort nodded. “I looked into them. They like your preaching but dislike your methods. I believe they're the generation of 'get it done' instead of discussing it.”

“Youthful exuberance.” Albus sighed as he shook his head.

“Loyalty sprung from the womb, I believe. Just like the Potter's were part of the Order as well, were they not?” Voldemort asked, innocence in every word.

“They were. Strong magic, a pity they died.” Albus retorted, regret in every syllable.

******

_“I'm part of Dumbledore's Army.” Granger stated strongly, finding her lost voice now she had something real to offer the Dark Lord._

_Voldemort raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”_

_“The thing is, most of them think I'm a swot, a know-it-all who thinks she's better than the rest of them.”_

_“And you're not?”_

_“Oh no, I know I'm better than all of them. If I wanted your kingdoms, they'd be mine.” She said with a hard grin._

_“And how do you think you would arrange all of that?” Voldemort asked, not impressed with the child._

_“Harry.” She stated defiantly. “If I get Harry, everything else will fall into place.”_

_Voldemort raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite himself. “Go on.”_

_“Like I said, I'm part of Dumbledore's Army but they usually ignore me or forget I'm there unless they need me to figure something out for them.”_

_“You're too pretty for that, love.” Rodolphus told her._

_“Save it for later.” Voldemort snapped out, irritated now._

_“Sorry, my Lord.” Rodolphus replied with a grin on his face and a wink aimed at Granger._

_“I overheard something I thought wasn't important. Sirius was friends with Fred and George Weasley and he came by a few weeks ago to see them. He's Harry's godfather.”_

_Voldemort nodded. “I've been made aware of their connection.”_

_“Do you also know that Albus Dumbledore himself is the reason Harry was placed with the muggles? Because the day after he learned that bit of information Sirius suddenly died fighting you lot.”_

_Voldemort hummed in interest. “Quite the coincidence.”_

******

“Yes. More pitiful that they left their infant son in the hands of Sirius Black, who promptly abandoned the boy before winding up in prison for murder.”

“He was falsely imprisoned.” Albus pointed out reasonably.

“No, Harry was falsely imprisoned with his disgusting muggle relatives. Sirius was let out after a month when his sentence was overturned.” Voldemort snarled before composing himself again. “Neither here nor there, but the point of my bringing it up is that the Potter's were always part of the Order. Until Harry.”

Albus nodded. “If we had known about him, he would have grown up with us. Sadly, it was not meant to be.”

“Was it? Rodolphus here thought it smelled a little off and did some digging.” Voldemort stated as he pointed his wand in Rodolphus’ direction.

“Polyjuice potion gone off.” Rodolphus affirmed. “Terrible smell, a real task to get out of your clothing too. Likes to linger, you see.”

“Would you be surprised to know that it was you who left him with the muggles? I believe Minerva and Hagrid even helped you set it all up. A stipend every month from the Potter vaults for little Harry's upkeep.”

“It was so long ago. I am getting old, you know.” Albus said sadly as he looked at Voldemort over his half-moon glasses.

“You didn't mention it to Sirius though, did you? He found out a few months ago, courtesy of one Remus Lupin. Turns out that month in Azkaban somehow made all his memories of little Harry simply vanish. Quite the feat, that.”

Albus' eyes turned hard. “Lupin, you say?”

“Imagine a werewolf alliance broken because you forgot where you put an insignificant boy.”

“What, exactly, is the point of this tale?”

******

_"Not a coincidence if you also know that the Potter's were murdered because you were on the rise and Sirius was arrested mere hours after they were murdered."_

_Voldemort stilled as his eyes sharpened on Granger. "Meaning?"_

_Granger leaned forwards in her seat, eager now to share that she had captured her audience. "Meaning someone set up Harry's whole life so that they could swoop in and be the hero."_

_"You believe Albus to be this person? Why?"_

_"When Sirius was on the phone learning about the reason Harry was abused, I saw Severus Snape walk away."_

_"Severus? That's a name I haven't heard in some time." Voldemort snorted in disgust._

_"Severus has always hated Harry and Harry could never figure out why, which is why he caught my attention when he seemed interested in Sirius' call. I was wondering what Severus was doing at Dumbledore's Army headquarters despite being overly vocal about hating the 'children' that run it. Then I remembered he used to spy on you."_

_"Clever little minx." Rodolphus said with a wink._

_"So I followed him."_

_"And he never noticed you?" Voldemort asked, his suspicion evident._

_Granger shook her head. "Like I said, people tend to overlook me. He made a call, you see."_

_"Floo?"_

_Granger nodded. "I got the floo logs from the Ministry just a few days ago. He reported to Hogwarts. That's why I went to see Harry."_

_"You believe he informed Albus about Sirius' upcoming deflection."_

_"I think Sirius became a problem and Albus Dumbledore needed him out of the way."_

******

"It didn't make much sense to me until Rodolphus here got a hold of his dear wife." Voldemort continued on, ignoring Albus’ curt question.

"Such a lovely disposition she had. I'm sure I'll miss her very much." Rodolphus intoned, grief faked too badly to be real.

"Couldn't have happened to a crazier bitch." Alastor replied gruffly.

"Oi!” Rodolphus thundered, brandishing his wand at Alastor. “That's my wife!"

"Alastor, please." Albus sighed before Alastor held up his hands in surrender. "You mentioned that Bellatrix and Sirius had some sort of plan?" Albus prodded.

"Of sorts." Voldemort allowed. "You see, Sirius has been searching for Harry ever since he remembered him. Turns out that Azkaban messed with his godfather bond. Family magic, when you have enough of it, can jumpstart it so to speak. The problem, as you may infer, is that Sirius is on the opposite side of our little war. He can't simply come asking for favours, family or not."

"I'm sorry to say I still don't see the connection here Tom."

"I used to think you were the patient sort." Voldemort remarked idly before continuing his tale. "Sirius managed to catch Bellatrix off guard in her favourite tea shop. Had quite the catch up, I hear."

"Real cosy." Rodolphus nodded.

"And this is where it gets interesting. See, while Sirius didn't know where Harry was, Bellatrix put two and two together and came out five. She did know who and where Harry was, you see, but she wasn't just going to hand that information over for free."

"She was always a touch too obsessed with you." Albus nodded in confirmation.

"She had a proposition for Sirius. If he got her an introduction with Dumbledore's Army, then she'd get the family together and re-start his godfather bond with Harry so he could find the boy."

"I imagine Sirius agreed." Albus remarked on a sigh.

******

_"So what do you want from me, Granger? Nothing comes for free."_

_Granger took a deep breath. "I would like only two things."_

_"Asking won’t get you killed, love. Not today at least." Rodolphus said when she faltered._

_"I'd like to stay out of the...messier side of your organization when it comes down to it, and I'd like to stay with Harry."_

_Voldemort looked thoughtful. "Are you implying that you would like to work for me?"_

_" I know that if I want to stay with Harry that I'll need to be some sort of asset in your organization. I'm saying that I’m the cleverest witch of my generation. I excel at what I do and I’d like to work for an organization that will appreciate my talents."_

_Cold blue eyes watched her closely. "But you'd rather not."_

_"Harry is my family. I would do anything to stay with him." She stated firmly. "I had to kill two people today, two children who got in over their heads." Granger stated, quickly loosing what little colour she had gained. "I would rather not ever have to do that again. I'm good at research, like I said, and I'd be an asset to you if you let me."_

_"And what if Harry disagrees?"_

_"Harry just wants me happy and I'll be happy when Harry is safe."_

_"That doesn't answer my question Granger. What happens when Harry's wishes directly interfere with a future job that I've given you? Do you choose the job or do you choose Harry?"_

_She hesitated, knowing the pitfalls of both answers. "Harry." She finally stated. "I will always choose Harry."_

_Voldemort smiled at her._

******

“Of course he agreed.”

Albus sighed, tiring of Voldemort’s games. “I assume this is where Harry comes in?”

“Bellatrix decided she would have a bit of fun letting Sirius chase his own tail for a while. She got her introduction and Sirius got his godfather bond re-started. What he didn't know was that Bellatrix hired two independent contractors to do a little job for her. One stone, two birds, as I believe the saying goes."

Albus tensed. "Kill Harry?"

Voldemort shrugged. "Can't say for sure since they hired the job out."

"The contract killers hired their own contractors?" Albus asked, his tone a little unbelieving.

"It was a bit of bad luck on their part that the people they hired happened to be the two people most obsessed with Harry."

"I-what? I'm sorry, my boy, but are you saying that the contract killers hired to kill Harry hired Harry's stalkers?" Albus’ unbelieving tone turning fully sceptical.

Voldemort’s cold laughter filled the room. "It sounds implausible, doesn't it?"

"I do find it a bit difficult to believe."

"Nevertheless, it was a stroke of luck for Harry since they didn't want to kill him, just keep him."

"Keep him?"

******

_Voldemort glided into his dungeon, wand out and a pleasant smile on his face. “Goyle, Crabbe, so lovely you could make it.”_

_“My Lord?” They asked in unison after sharing an uneasy look._

_“I've got quite the problem on my hands. It turns out that you two have been running around behind my back. I believe your parents are Death Eaters, no?”_

_“Yes sir, they are.” Goyle confirmed._

_“So I must confess my surprise in hearing that you two are outsourcing your...particular skill set.”_

_The boys exchanged another uneasy glance. “We mean no disrespect, my Lord.” Crabbe said slowly._

_“We just wanted to start our own business.” Goyle added._

_Voldemort nodded. “Of course, I understand. You're enterprising young men; you want to make a name for yourselves outside my influence.”_

_Crabbe nodded. “Our parents didn't want us rising in the ranks before we understood our place.”_

_“But we're smart, you see.” Goyle proclaimed enthusiastically. “We can do stuff, take care of things.”_

_Voldemort smiled kindly. “Of course you can. Which is why dear Bellatrix came to you, no?”_

_They both nodded, eager now. “She wanted to hire us.”_

_“Had a job for us. Some boy she wanted out of the way.”_

_“Do you remember his name?”_

_“Henry?” Goyle guessed._

_“Harold?” Crabbe speculated._

_Voldemort grit his teeth. “Never mind. So you took the job?”_

_“Gave us a thousand galleons each.”_

_“Demanded proof after we done the deed, said she'd give us a bonus if we gave it to her quick like.”_

_“So you killed the boy?” Voldemort prompted sympathetically._

******

“Kidnapping.” Voldemort informed his opponent.

“Which didn't succeed.” Albus pointed out.

“Thankfully not, but it did leave him injured. Three broken ribs, a fractured ankle, various bruises, a sprained wrist, and a particularly odd cut on his forehead.”

Albus frowned. “His forehead?”

“Hmm. He's been marked, you see.” Voldemort stated amiably as sparks shot out of his wand.

“Do convey my sympathies, won't you Tom?” Albus asked, eyeing the wand in Voldemort’s hand with caution.

“Of course, of course, it goes without saying. Harry is quite fond of you. However, Harry came back in quite a state and told me an alarming story of his ordeal. He kept his wits about him and managed to even search the place he had been brought to and found something quite interesting.”

“Bellatrix and Sirius, I assume.”

“More than that. It turns out that Ronald Weasley is the founding member of Dumbledore's Army, another one of yours.”

“There are a large number of Weasley's working for me.” Albus said as he shook his head in wonder.

“Yes. Ronald however, has the distinct pleasure of feeling like a neglected child. He's the last in a long line of brothers and never had anything for himself, not in the ways he wanted anyway. He couldn't even have the honour of being the last child because that was bestowed upon darling Ginny. Not only the youngest, but also a female. Ronald, the enterprising man he is, decided to make a name for himself.”

“And how does this tie in to Sirius and Bellatrix?”

“If you remember, Bellatrix wanted an introduction to Dumbledore's Army.” Voldemort reminded his audience.

“Ah yes, so she did.”

“Bellatrix wanted out of her marriage and wanted Harry out of the way in the hopes that in my grief I would turn to her.”

“That doesn't seem the most thought out plan.” Albus allowed.

******

_“Nah, turned out it was a lot of work, finding him.” Crabbe said, warming up to the subject._

_“Yeah, it took effort. Load of sitting around and waiting. So we hired two blokes to do it for us.” Goyle added, proud of their ingenuity._

_“Bellatrix?” Voldemort prompted, annoyance creeping into his tone._

_“Been a right bitch to us lately. Keeps telling us to hurry up and get the job done but last time I checked, the two blokes we hired took care of it.”_

_“Yeah, heard they wanted to keep him.”_

_Voldemort sighed deeply, almost disappointed. “It simply is almost unjust that you will never get to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Or laziness, as it turns out.”_

_Goyle frowned in confusion. “Uh, my Lord?”_

_“I believe I made it clear when you were inducted into the Death Eaters that there would be no side businesses?”_

_Crabbe shrugged. “Yeah, but that was only for the new people. We're like, legacies.”_

_“I do believe you've met Rodolphus?”_

_“Sure.” The boys nodded as Rodolphus walked into the dungeon._

_“Bellatrix's husband right?”_

_“He's got a few questions for you that I'd like you to answer as honestly as possible.”_

_“W-what's he doing?” Goyle stuttered out, pointing at the man in question as he began to throw curses at the wall across from them._

_“Hm? Oh, he's making sure he can still cast the Cruciatus. It takes effort, you see. Practice.”_

_“But we didn't do anything wrong!” Goyle protested._

_“We did everything Bellatrix asked us to!” Crabbe pleaded, eyes wide in fear._

_“Then I'm sure it won't be a problem for you to answer the questions, now will it?”_

******

“No, it doesn't does it? Bellatrix has never been quite what we call sane, so I do assume that in her mind it made perfect sense.”

“I believe I hear a 'but' coming?”

Voldemort inclined his head. “Ronald and Harry are friends. After taking classes together without either of them knowing of their particular leanings, if you will, they went from friendly to, as Harry would proclaim, brothers. Once it came out that they were essentially playing for different sides, Ronald came to Harry pushing a new agenda. He wanted a third side where they could both find common ground.”

Albus tilted his head in contemplation. “You indicated that Ronald wanted to make a name for himself.”

“I believe this is where it all went wrong for you.”

“For me?” Albus questioned in surprise.

“Ronald quickly figured out that Bellatrix wanted them to organize a coup and that Harry's life was in danger. Ronald, still holding fast to a friendship born out of true bonds decided to send aid to Harry.”

“Aid?”

“Hermione Granger. Fascinating creature. Pity about the side she chose, but I suppose you can't have everything.” Voldemort uttered on a despondent sigh.

Albus smirked. “She is a bright young woman, a loyal one too if she helped Harry.”

“Having helped Harry, they decided it was best to nip this whole thing in the bud so Harry would be kept safe. Bellatrix's antics were reported and Rodolphus here got quite the confession before she died.”

Albus frowned at the news. “I fail to see how this has become my problem?”

“Did you forget about Sirius? Sadly, Sirius had the problem many in the Black family eventually succumb to.”

“The Black family madness.” Albus said softly, realization lighting up his features.

“Just so. In his madness he became a little paranoid. Not only made copies of everything, but he recorded everything as well. Kept it all nice and neat in his vault, you see.”

“Pity you had him killed off in front of Harry then, just as they were starting to get to know each other.”

“Ah, yes. The unfortunate incident in the Ministry. I heard Bellatrix was the culprit. A pity she did it on your orders then, isn't it Albus?”

******

_“Bella, darling.” Voldemort crooned as he walked into the Lestrange parlour._

_“My Lord!” Bellatrix exclaimed happily as she rushed towards him. “You grace me with your presence. And Potter?” She asked, making to effort to look for him._

_“Harry seems to have had an accident.”_

_“Accident, my Lord?” Bright eyes, hopeful demeanour._

_“Quite. That's not why I'm here, however.” Voldemort smiled, tracing a finger down her face._

_Bellatrix shivered in delight. “No? Whatever you need, my Lord.”_

_“I need you to tell me why you would betray me in such a manner.”_

_“Betray you?! Never my Lord! I have never betrayed you!” She gasped, horrified by the notion alone._

_“You tired to murder my husband, Bella.” Voldemort replied evenly, his red eyes turning darker with every breath as he looked down on the grovelling witch at his feet._

_“Half-blood filth! He doesn't deserve you! I'm pure, my Lord. I can give you everything you need!”_

_“You are married and barren.”_

_“I'm not barren, I take potions when Rodolphus tries to fuck me. I would never betray you like that my Lord.”_

_“So you would betray your wedding vows to me instead, darling wife?” Rodolphus asked, walking into the room and looking at his wife in revulsion._

_“You are weak!” She spat as she turned to him. “Your family line is weak and I'll be proud to help it die out!”_

_Rodolphus turned to Voldemort.“My Lord?”_

_“I believe it is up to you as her husband. If there is anything left of her after, do make an example of her for the rest of the Death Eaters, would you?”_

_“My Lord?” Bellatrix gasped in shock._

_“I will. Come, Bella, let's have a conversation.”_

******

“I didn't kill Sirius!” Albus declared outraged.

“Of course not, you had him killed. He became a liability Albus, and if there's one thing I can respect about you, it's your ruthlessness when people become obsolete.”

“And what does this have to do with me?”

“It took a while for me to understand your reasoning Albus, but I think I finally figured it out. Harry was your lynchpin.” Voldemort uttered in glee, leaning slightly towards Albus in his eagerness.

“I never met Harry before your wedding.” Albus exclaimed, eyes narrowing as his earlier genial disposition finally made way for the feared leader he was.

“You murdered his parents because they were going to leave your organization and as we both know, nobody leaves The Order. Sirius was a problem but he was quickly taken care of. You used the month he was in Azkaban to wipe his memory of Harry and place baby Harry with abusive muggles. The effect of that was two fold. With Sirius you gained a loyal follower since you 'saved' him from Azkaban and proved his innocence. Once Harry was of an appropriate age, you would arrive and 'save' him as well. You even took the time to send the only other person who knew Harry existed on an impossible mission knowing he would get killed. All very well executed. Until the day Harry ran away from his abusive muggle family.”

“Probably for the best, I'm sure.” Albus replied stoically.

“Harry wasn't there when you showed up sixteen years later, was he? As a matter of fact, neither were the muggles. But you had time, and most importantly, you had the knowledge of who he was. So you tracked him with magic and followed him right here. I can only imagine your surprise and rage at seeing the boy you raised for slaughter with the man you intended to put in front of his wand.”

“What does this have to do with our business?” Albus spat out.

“I enjoy our little quarrels. I even enjoy your little mind games that you employ every couple of years when you try to take me out of our game altogether. Business is business after all. What I mind is when people put their disgusting hands on my husband.”

“I'm afraid I still don't understand, my dear boy.” Albus declared with feigned confusion.

“I'll make it simple for you. Harry Potter was going to be your golden boy. The boy you 'saved' from abuse and who would come to hero worship you. You would lay the blame of his parent’s death at my feet while moulding the boy to be the perfect weapon before turning him on me. Sirius' newly acquired memories of the boy put you in a difficult spot. It became even more uncomfortable when, unbeknownst to you, Remus Lupin came back alive and sorted Sirius out. Suddenly you were on the brink of not only a scandal, but also a veritable power struggle. It was a mild problem at first, until Dedalus Diggle came across Sirius and Bellatrix having tea and Severus Snape reported his findings after you sent him to spy on Dumbledore’s Army. Sirius finding out about your involvement meant that Harry would learn that you were the reason he was placed with the Dursley's and if he learned that, you would never be able to get him to trust you and your new plans to destroy The Death Eaters from the inside out would be a failure.”

“Quite the tale.” Albus stated stoically.

Voldemort grinned maliciously. “So what better way to ensure your victory than to enlist poor volatile Bellatrix? You send Kreacher, a house-elf of all things, to whisper sweet nothings into her ear. This plan can never come back to you, so you create a failsafe when you learn of Bellatrix’s plans. Dumbledore's Army is too new to know what they're really getting into and what better way to strengthen the hero-worship than to cut Ronald down at the knees by implicating him in this whole mess? Ronald is gaining followers far too quickly and with him gone, you would gain the newest generation and take me out all in one blow. Only then you learned of Bellatrix and her little plot to kill Harry. That must have angered you; you still needed Harry after all. So you set up quite the production. You lure Harry to the Ministry with a fake vision of Sirius. He arrives with a few friends to save the last link to his parents and walks straight into an ambush. You've pushed Bellatrix enough that she now sees Sirius as a loose end and she kills him. Harry, seeing this, knows that Bellatrix is one of mine and becomes convinced that it was my ploy all along.”

“Perhaps you should control your people better if that's the case.” Albus intoned cruelly.

“And then something even more extraordinary happens.” Voldemort continues, ignoring Albus’ remark. “Remus Lupin intervenes and tells Harry everything right before he’s kidnapped. Harry comes home to me bloody and bruised and we put together quite the story. We're still missing a few pieces at that particular moment of course; you're quite the adversary Albus.” Voldemort compliments with a smile.

Albus growls in frustration. “I grow tired of your games, Tom.”

“Oh but Albus, we're getting so close to the end of our little story. You see, Bellatrix's patience wanes and she concocts another little plan, which, in her mad ravings, she divulges to Kreacher. Kreacher informs you. And that's when you made your biggest mistake. If you can't have Harry on your side then he would be better off dead. A little hint here, a nudge there, and a different plan is set into motion. Against my husband. My husband Albus. _MY HUSBAND_!" Voldemort screamed, in his fury standing up and letting his chair tumble to the ground, throwing up his wand and crying out “Avada Kedavra” in one smooth motion that nobody quite realized what happened until Alastor’s dead body hit the ground.

"You're not going to kill me then, Tom?" Albus asked gently after a short silence in which Voldemort tried to reign in his anger and Albus merely looked at his downed second.

Voldemort cleared his throat as he conjured another chair and sat down again. "I did tell you Albus, the reason Harry refuses to be involved is that he's a touch too vicious."

"He's right." Harry hummed softly as he stepped into the room. "I have quite the problem with my temper, particularly when I find out how one man destroyed my entire life on a whim."

Voldemort watched with naked glee as Albus' eyes darted from him to Harry. "Harry? Surely you don't believe this tall tale?"

“Gellert was the head of The Order and your husband until you got greedy. He met an unfortunate end and his most trusted were blamed. A coup, you declared heartbroken. So you rebuild and became The Order of the Phoenix, rising from the ashes of your dead husband. You went unchallenged until Tom rose to power.” Harry stated, his stare hard even as his movements were loose as he came to stand next to Voldemort. “My parents having me in the midst of a war became the very thing you needed. Until they didn't do what they were supposed to. Sort of like I did. Would you like to know the difference between my parents and myself, Albus?"

For the first time that evening, Albus looked genuinely distressed. "Harry, my boy, surely you see how far fetched this ridiculous tale is?"

“The difference is that I learned quite early on the only thing in this world that makes you safe is yourself. Until Tom. Tom has always made sure I was safe. I don't like it when people try to threaten my husband.”

“ _Harry_.” Albus pressed urgently.

“I think it's time The Order had a change in leadership, don't you?” Harry asked kindly.

******

“Harry, Hermione! Over here!” Ron waived, gesturing them over when they caught sight of him in the bustling warehouse.

“Hey Ron.” Harry said with a happy smile as Hermione followed him, looking at everyone and everything suspiciously.

“Didn't think I'd see you for a while.” Ron said with a pointed look to his still healing face.

Harry grimaced but shrugged. “Wanted to get out for a while, you know how it is.”

“Husband driving you insane?” Ron snorted in amusement.

“Only all of the time. He's a damn mother hen.” Harry said as he rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Anyway, how's business?”

Ron sighed sadly. “Still no word on Albus, but it's made way for us while they're scrambling to figure out who should lead The Order now that he's missing. Snape seems to think he’s got a shot.”

“Mental.” Hermione muttered, almost sounding outraged.

“That’s what I thought too.” Ron said with a shrug. “But it’s hardly our business anymore is it? After that mess, we decided it was better to make a clean break.”

“So you're stepping in the hole the Order left then?” Hermione asked, looking around with interest.

“You wouldn't believe how well we're doing! Fred and George are beside themselves! They finally get to try all the things mum forbade them when we were still with the Order.”

Harry laughed in delight, knowing exactly how the twins could be once they got going. “Good for you! Glad it's done some good at least.”

Ron turned grim as he looked sadly at Harry. “Sorry mate. Forgot you two were close.”

Hermione cleared her throat and shuffled a little ways away to give them some room.

Harry shrugged as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at his shoes. "It's the nature of the business right?”

“Still.” Ron said as he slung an arm around Harry’s shoulders. “I’m just relieved that you don’t have the right constitution for this line of work. I didn’t like hearing you were in danger.”

Harry managed a small smile and a nod as he looked the man he considered his brother. “I'm just glad I have nothing to do with it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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